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Souji's Dungeon: A Summary.
Nov. 22nd, 2017 04:23 pmSo: Souji's dungeon, the Maze of Doubt, is a little different than most Persona/Shadow Dungeons. The central theme is not the resistance to a Shadow - You're Not Me!! - but confusions about role - Who Am I?
As such, each of Souji's points of confusion was framed as a choice between two conflicting ideas, represented by the two people arguing with one another in most of the rooms, which rescuers have to resolve by either reconciling them or choosing between them. I'm still open for threading any of these encounters, if people are interested, but most importantly, I want to lay out the dilemmas and hear the short version of how everyone would have reacted to them.
Velvet Space
Victor, the version of Souji-as-Velvet Attendant, represents the parts of Souji that are most self-sacrificing, not wanting to burden others with his problems, and that are most fatalistic about his future as a Traveler - in Tarot, the presence of the Major Arcana means factors beyond the querent's control, and part of Souji feels that Traveling undermines the validity of any choices he makes, making solving these dilemmas pointless.
The Seal OF Fate
Ten keyholes are laid out in a Celtic Cross Tarot spread, a ten-card prediction about Souji's past, present, and future. Every room in the maze holds a key, and those keys unlock the boss encounter. They also define what part of Souji each bit of confusion relates to.
The Present. Setting: The Grid
The room with all of Souji's Personas as Grid Identity disc represents his present state of mind, with everything locked up and closed away. My intention was to permit people to keep these Personas, if they wanted, & that Souji would lose them as a result. This room also symbolizes the Dead Arcana - Star, Fortune, Hierophant, & Temperance - whose social links won't be represented in the rest of the dungeon.
The Challenge. Setting: Harrogate. Ruling Arcana: Devil & Tower.
In this room, a classic P4-esque Shadow Souji represents Souji at his most repressed, bound up in negativity; in contrast with a representation of the cold-hearted manipulative infiltration of Souji in Moebius, who represents a disastrously changed version of Souji. This room is all about failure states and worst-case scenarios, and Souji's worst fears about himself, and it's one of the only rooms where combat with the Shadows is even possible.
The Past. Setting: Shoals. Ruling Arcana: Emperor & Empress.
The Shadows in this room appear as Yosuke & Chie, with their Arcana being not the classixc P4 roles they have for him, but their roles in his life now. Yosuke represents tradition, the comfortable memory of life the way it was before Inaba, detached, always the new kid, traveling every year & only staying on the surface of life. Chie represents the world which she comes from where Souji never gained a Persona, where he could focus only on being the best friend and happiest person he could be. Importantly, this is not how Souji sees Yosuke & Chie in-game, but it is a repressed, Shadow-version, the things he thinks about in association with the worlds they represent.
The Future. Setting: Moebius. Ruling Arcana: Hanged Man & Death.
The Shadows of Yua & Naoki represent stangation & dynamism; whether Souji should hang onto the roles of the past that mattered to him or let himself become someone and something new as he Travels, possibly at the cost of letting go of his own world & his understanding of it.
Aspirations. Setting: Rome. Ruling Arcana: Strength & Sun.
Shadows of Rise & Naoto make this one a little awkward and more than a little surreal. In this case, Rise represents Souji's endurance & dedication, and Naoto represents his optimism & curiosity; as the factors or virtues that motivate him.
Subconscious & Emotions. Setting: Questing Country. Ruling Arcana: Fool & Magician.
Shadow versions of Hiroshi & Seth Sowerby, his infiltration from Newport, represent openness to new experience, being reactive; versus being decisive or proactive & forging a path to what he wants.
Advice. Setting: Lightning Age. Ruling Arcana: Priestess & Moon.
Shadows of Philip & Beatrice represent the parts of Souji that seek normalcy versus the parts of Souji that seek adventure.
Influences. Setting: Olympus. Ruling Arcana: Hermit & Judgment.
Shadows of Souji's newest CR, Casper & Kohaku, represent the parts of Souji that are introspective & philosophical versus the parts of him that are externally focused and action-oriented.
Hopes & Fears. Setting: Newport. Ruling Arcana: World & Lovers.
Shadows of Inaba Souji & PSYCHE aka the Lovers Arcana represent two ideals of Souji as he could be: the calm, open Leader who defeated Izanami, or the experience & relationship-focused sensation-seeker his Arcana patron clearly is.
Outcome. Setting: Bando. Ruling Arcana: Chariot & Justice.
Shadows of Kanji & Akira represent a Souji who has moved on from what he was & found a new space in his new life; or a Souji whose values dictate that he must understand this world in terms of his old one. (Again, I want to emphasize that this is not necessarily how Souji sees Kanji & Akira, only that, structurally, they fit these roles in his dilemmas).
BEHIND THE SEAL OF FATE
Once the Travelers have resolved these conflicts, they can return to Victor, who will Register the winning key, or, if the conflict was resolved without one Shadow's argument 'winning,' Fuse the keys, & unlocking the final boss.
As a Persona 5 style dungeon, Victor & Akira would have been able to inform the party that they had to send notification to the master of the maze before proceeding.
The Treasure in the boss chamber would have been Souji's Wild Card (which means that there are resolutions of this dungeon where Souji either temporarily or permanently loses it, and/or his Persona abilities are altered in some way), and the boss itself is a Shapeshifter, changing to a different Souji-infiltration and ability set every round. After defeating the Shapeshifter one way or another & choosing what to do with the treasure, the dungeon begins to collapse, & Victor will rush the Travelers to the exit - outside of which they would find a weakened and shaky Souji awaiting them, in need of rest but able to decisively face his inner confusions and conflicts now & move on.
So. That's what I had planned. I'd really like it if folks would comment below with their thoughts on how their character would have approached resolving some of these conflicts, what sides they would have taken, what tactics they would have tried. You don't need to have a solution for every room (especially as people were in different groups), but if you could respond to the three rooms that would hit your character hardest emotionally plus the final boss fight, that would be great. We can handwave that the groups changed between rooms, we don't need to keep that consistent.
Likewise, let me know if you have any questions, or if there are any threads you'd actually like to thread through out of these, & we can go back & do that.
As such, each of Souji's points of confusion was framed as a choice between two conflicting ideas, represented by the two people arguing with one another in most of the rooms, which rescuers have to resolve by either reconciling them or choosing between them. I'm still open for threading any of these encounters, if people are interested, but most importantly, I want to lay out the dilemmas and hear the short version of how everyone would have reacted to them.
Velvet Space
Victor, the version of Souji-as-Velvet Attendant, represents the parts of Souji that are most self-sacrificing, not wanting to burden others with his problems, and that are most fatalistic about his future as a Traveler - in Tarot, the presence of the Major Arcana means factors beyond the querent's control, and part of Souji feels that Traveling undermines the validity of any choices he makes, making solving these dilemmas pointless.
The Seal OF Fate
Ten keyholes are laid out in a Celtic Cross Tarot spread, a ten-card prediction about Souji's past, present, and future. Every room in the maze holds a key, and those keys unlock the boss encounter. They also define what part of Souji each bit of confusion relates to.
The Present. Setting: The Grid
The room with all of Souji's Personas as Grid Identity disc represents his present state of mind, with everything locked up and closed away. My intention was to permit people to keep these Personas, if they wanted, & that Souji would lose them as a result. This room also symbolizes the Dead Arcana - Star, Fortune, Hierophant, & Temperance - whose social links won't be represented in the rest of the dungeon.
The Challenge. Setting: Harrogate. Ruling Arcana: Devil & Tower.
In this room, a classic P4-esque Shadow Souji represents Souji at his most repressed, bound up in negativity; in contrast with a representation of the cold-hearted manipulative infiltration of Souji in Moebius, who represents a disastrously changed version of Souji. This room is all about failure states and worst-case scenarios, and Souji's worst fears about himself, and it's one of the only rooms where combat with the Shadows is even possible.
The Past. Setting: Shoals. Ruling Arcana: Emperor & Empress.
The Shadows in this room appear as Yosuke & Chie, with their Arcana being not the classixc P4 roles they have for him, but their roles in his life now. Yosuke represents tradition, the comfortable memory of life the way it was before Inaba, detached, always the new kid, traveling every year & only staying on the surface of life. Chie represents the world which she comes from where Souji never gained a Persona, where he could focus only on being the best friend and happiest person he could be. Importantly, this is not how Souji sees Yosuke & Chie in-game, but it is a repressed, Shadow-version, the things he thinks about in association with the worlds they represent.
The Future. Setting: Moebius. Ruling Arcana: Hanged Man & Death.
The Shadows of Yua & Naoki represent stangation & dynamism; whether Souji should hang onto the roles of the past that mattered to him or let himself become someone and something new as he Travels, possibly at the cost of letting go of his own world & his understanding of it.
Aspirations. Setting: Rome. Ruling Arcana: Strength & Sun.
Shadows of Rise & Naoto make this one a little awkward and more than a little surreal. In this case, Rise represents Souji's endurance & dedication, and Naoto represents his optimism & curiosity; as the factors or virtues that motivate him.
Subconscious & Emotions. Setting: Questing Country. Ruling Arcana: Fool & Magician.
Shadow versions of Hiroshi & Seth Sowerby, his infiltration from Newport, represent openness to new experience, being reactive; versus being decisive or proactive & forging a path to what he wants.
Advice. Setting: Lightning Age. Ruling Arcana: Priestess & Moon.
Shadows of Philip & Beatrice represent the parts of Souji that seek normalcy versus the parts of Souji that seek adventure.
Influences. Setting: Olympus. Ruling Arcana: Hermit & Judgment.
Shadows of Souji's newest CR, Casper & Kohaku, represent the parts of Souji that are introspective & philosophical versus the parts of him that are externally focused and action-oriented.
Hopes & Fears. Setting: Newport. Ruling Arcana: World & Lovers.
Shadows of Inaba Souji & PSYCHE aka the Lovers Arcana represent two ideals of Souji as he could be: the calm, open Leader who defeated Izanami, or the experience & relationship-focused sensation-seeker his Arcana patron clearly is.
Outcome. Setting: Bando. Ruling Arcana: Chariot & Justice.
Shadows of Kanji & Akira represent a Souji who has moved on from what he was & found a new space in his new life; or a Souji whose values dictate that he must understand this world in terms of his old one. (Again, I want to emphasize that this is not necessarily how Souji sees Kanji & Akira, only that, structurally, they fit these roles in his dilemmas).
BEHIND THE SEAL OF FATE
Once the Travelers have resolved these conflicts, they can return to Victor, who will Register the winning key, or, if the conflict was resolved without one Shadow's argument 'winning,' Fuse the keys, & unlocking the final boss.
As a Persona 5 style dungeon, Victor & Akira would have been able to inform the party that they had to send notification to the master of the maze before proceeding.
The Treasure in the boss chamber would have been Souji's Wild Card (which means that there are resolutions of this dungeon where Souji either temporarily or permanently loses it, and/or his Persona abilities are altered in some way), and the boss itself is a Shapeshifter, changing to a different Souji-infiltration and ability set every round. After defeating the Shapeshifter one way or another & choosing what to do with the treasure, the dungeon begins to collapse, & Victor will rush the Travelers to the exit - outside of which they would find a weakened and shaky Souji awaiting them, in need of rest but able to decisively face his inner confusions and conflicts now & move on.
So. That's what I had planned. I'd really like it if folks would comment below with their thoughts on how their character would have approached resolving some of these conflicts, what sides they would have taken, what tactics they would have tried. You don't need to have a solution for every room (especially as people were in different groups), but if you could respond to the three rooms that would hit your character hardest emotionally plus the final boss fight, that would be great. We can handwave that the groups changed between rooms, we don't need to keep that consistent.
Likewise, let me know if you have any questions, or if there are any threads you'd actually like to thread through out of these, & we can go back & do that.
